Genomic Variability within an Organism Exposes Its Cell Lineage Tree
Figure 4
Automated Procedure for Lineage Tree Reconstruction
The procedure accepts biological samples and PCR primers as input, and outputs a reconstructed lineage tree. It consists of a series of seven consecutive steps (numbered), during which the physical biological samples are “transformed” into digital data, which are then analyzed algorithmically. We built a hybrid in vitro/in silico automated system that performs steps 2–7 of the procedure (outlined), and used it to process DNA from tissue samples and single-cell clones. Incorporation of whole genome amplification techniques in the future may enable processing of single cells as well. For a detailed specification of the procedure, see Protocol S1.